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Cats poster

Film · 2019

Cats

Directed by Tom Hooper · starring Laurie Davidson, Francesca Hayward and Idris Elba

  • 1 h 50 min
  • Music · Fantasy · Comedy
  • UKUSA
  • Released in the UK 19 December 2019
  • 3.5 AverageMovieNCo
  • 4.1 Users10 votes
  • 2.9 Critics5 reviews
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Synopsis

'Cats' is the cinematographic adaptation of what is one of the longest-running Broadway musicals of all time. It is directed by Tom Hooper, who won an Oscar for his work in 'The King's Speech' and boasts directorial credits in other movies such as 'The Danish Girl' and 'Les Misérables'.

'Cats' tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night that the leader of the group decides which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new life. These cats will present themselves one by one, spinning stories about their past and explaining what makes them special enough to be the chosen one.

Forming the cast are Jennifer Hudson, an Oscar winner for 'Dreamgirls', James Corden ('Yesterday'), Ian McKellen ('All Is True', 'Beauty and the Beast') and Taylor Swift. 'Cats' will be the return of the artist to the big screen after her small role in 'Valentine's Day' and her cameo in 'Hannah Montana: The Movie', though she has been involved with the film industry through the contributions she made to the original soundtracks of 'Fifty Shades Darker' and 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'.

The film and the musical are based on the book of poems for children written by T.S. Eliot, and the script is penned by the playwright Lee Hall (known for the 2000 film 'Billy Elliot' and 'Rocketman').

Where to watch Cats

All the options

Available now in the UK:

Availability checked on 8 November 2026.

The essentials

Runtime
110 min1 hour and 50 minutes
Budget
$950mAmblin Entertainment
Box office
$26.8m0.0 times its budget
How long is Cats?
1 hour and 50 minutes (110 minutes).
When was Cats released in the UK?
It was released in the UK on 19 December 2019.
Who directed Cats?
Tom Hooper.
Who is in Cats?
It stars Laurie Davidson, Francesca Hayward, Idris Elba and Rebel Wilson.
Where can I watch Cats?
In the UK it is available with a subscription on Prime Video and to rent on Apple TV.
How much did Cats make?
It took $26.8 million in US. It cost $950 million.
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Cast

Full cast (19)
Director
Tom Hooper
Writers
Lee Hall, Tom Hooper
Producers
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Tom Hooper

Videos and trailers

All 3 videos
'Cats' first trailer 2:4718 July 2019

Photos and posters

All 11 photos

Reviews

All 5 reviews
4.1 10 votes
  • 1010 %
  • 910 %
  • 810 %
  • 70 %
  • 60 %
  • ≤570 %

What the critics say average 2.9 from 5 outlets

  • 5.5 CriticLeah Greenblatt Even after 110 tumbling, tail-swishing, deeply psychedelic minutes, it?s hard to know if you ever really knew anything ? except that C is for Cats, C is for Crazy, and C is probably the grade this… Read
  • 4.0 EmpireJohn Nugent And most baffling of all: why do they look like that? The much-vaunted ?digital fur technology? has improved since the trailer, but never climbs from the shivering depths of the uncanny valley… Read
  • 1.0 Los Angeles TimesJustin Chang ?I remember / the time I knew what happiness was,? Grizabella sings. You will remember it, too, and you will know it again once you have ascended to your own Heaviside Layer, located just beyond the… Read

Box office

Weekend by weekend
  • Budget $950m
  • US $26.8m
  • UK £11.6m

Awards

All the awards

Soundtrack

All 25 songs
  1. The Old Gumbie CatRobbie Fairchild, Rebel Wilson Spotify
  2. The Rum Tum TuggerJason Derulo Spotify
  3. Bustopher Jones: The Cat About TownJames Corden, Jason Derulo, Cory English, Idris Elba Spotify
  4. Mungojerrie and RumpleteazerDanny Collins, Naoimh Morgan, Francesca Hayward Spotify

Trivia

All 11 facts

  • Destiny?

    In 'Six Degrees of Separation', Paul (Will Smith) tells dinner guests his father is making a movie of the hit play 'Cats'. Amongst the guests excited to be an extra in the movie of Cats was Sir Ian McKellen.

  • To the big screen

    This is the first adaptation of 'Cats' since the 1998 made-for-television BBC movie.

  • Change of sex

    This is the first time Old Deuteronomy as been represented as female, Judi Dench.

  • A failed attempt

    Steven Spielberg's Amblimation planned to adapt the musical into an animated movie, but abandoned it when the studio shut down.

  • A feline coincidence

    By coincidence, Taylor Swift had released the first official merchandise for her two cats, Olivia and Meredith, earlier the same day that her casting in this movie was announced.

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